Director of Cell Equipment and Manufacturing Engineering

Sila is seeking a Director of Cell Equipment and Manufacturing Engineering to build and lead the technical organization responsible for the equipment specification, vendor selection, machinery bring-up, and manufacturing line optimization across our cell production facilities. Reporting directly to the VP of Foundry Operations, this executive will serve as the primary authority for transforming cell process chemistry into high-speed, automated, and audit-ready manufacturing lines.

This position is distinct from our early-stage R&D Battery Engineering team; while R&D develops early material chemistries and lab-scale cells, the Director of Cell Equipment and Manufacturing Engineering owns the physical industrialization—taking custom machinery from initial concept and sourcing through installation, line bring-up, and steady-state high-yield production.

The ideal candidate blends rigorous equipment engineering expertise with deep operational bring-up experience. You know how to author tight equipment specifications, run global tendering processes with machine builders, manage Factory and Site Acceptance Testing (FAT/SAT), and lead hands-on line commissioning in dry room and cleanroom environments. You are a low-ego, data-driven leader who excels at bridging technical teams and scaling talent in high-growth hardware environments.

• ◆Equipment Specification & Standard Architecture: Define standard equipment requirements, line architecture, machine safety protocols, and line layouts across electrode, cell assembly, formation, aging, and end-of-line testing.
• ◆Global Sourcing & Vendor Down-Selection: Direct technical RFQs, vendor evaluations, design reviews, and technical agreements with global equipment OEMs across North America, Europe, and Asia.
• ◆Factory Bring-Up, FAT & SAT: Own end-to-end equipment commissioning: direct Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) at vendor sites, oversee shipping and installation, and execute Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) and mechanical/electrical bring-up.
• ◆Manufacturing Engineering & Yield Ramp: Lead process engineering and line optimization post-commissioning to drive steady-state throughput, line yield, OEE, statistical process control (SPC), and cost-down roadmaps.
• ◆Design for Manufacturability (DFM): Collaborate with R&D Battery Engineering and Product teams to align cell specifications and form factors to define automated assembly tooling and automated high-rate lines.
• ◆Facilities & Utility Hookup: Partner with the Capital Project team to execute construction, integrating cell infrastructure, including clean rooms, dry rooms, solvent recovery systems, hazardous material handling, and dry air systems.
• ◆Automation & Digital Integration: Direct the integration of machine controls, PLC architectures, robotics, and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) to track production data, quality metrics, and maintenance scheduling.
• ◆Team Leadership & Development: Recruit, mentor, and scale a multi-disciplinary team spanning equipment engineers, process engineers, controls/automation engineers, and field service technicians.
• ◆GWh Equipment Sourcing Roadmap: Finalize equipment specifications, the supplier matrix, and capital expenditure plans for Sila's initial GWh-scale commercial plant lines.

Knowledge and Skill

• ✓Leadership Experience: Minimum 10+ years in equipment engineering, battery manufacturing engineering, or automated industrial machinery bring-up, with 5+ years leading technical engineering teams.
• ✓Lithium-Ion Machinery Depth: Direct experience specifying, selecting, and bringing up core cell manufacturing machinery: mixers, coaters, slitters, winders/stackers, tab welders, pouch/can sealers, electrolyte filling, formation/aging systems, and EOL test equipment.
• ✓Vendor & Program Management: Proven track record running vendor selection, design reviews, and FAT/SAT with global equipment OEMs.
• ✓Commissioning & Line Bring-Up Track Record: Hands-on experience taking complex hardware lines through commissioning to qualified, high-yield production.
• ✓Facilities & Environmental Integration: Practical understanding of dry room

(dew point controls), cleanrooms, and chemical/hazardous media safety compliance.

• ✓High-Growth Agility: Experience operating in fast-paced, high-growth, hardware environments with a pragmatic, continuous-improvement mindset.
• ✓Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or related technical field.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

The work environment and physical demands are representative of those the employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Rarely: Carrying, Climbing Stairs and Ladders, Kneeling, Squatting, Hearing, Heights, Kneeling, Bending, Stooping, Wet Climates, Hazards, Noise greater than 85 decibels

Occasionally: Sanding, Walking

Frequently: Reading, Sitting

Constantly: Grasping, Hearing, Reaching, Reading, Repetitive Motions, Sitting, Vision

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